The Future of the Sharing Economy and Implications for the services sector

The Future of the Sharing Economy and Implications for the services sector

The “sharing economy” is not a sector, but rather a new delivery model that will have an impact across all services. While typically services outsourcing previously required high-level outreach and negotiations to build a B2B relationship between companies, outsourcing of services can now be implemented nearly instantaneously and to individuals as well as businesses. 


The biggest successes in this space to date are among those early adopters who created the platforms on which resources and information are pooled and parceled out according to demand. These include, of course, notable market-makers Uber (in local transportation) and AirBnB (in housing rentals). 

Driving this trend is the push for operational efficiency and scalability, the rapid proliferation of mobile technology, and evolving labor practices. While new platforms spring up to implement the sharing model in seemingly every niche of the economy, perhaps the greatest new opportunities lie in partnerships, e.g., food delivery services that leverage the existing network of Uber transportation to fulfill deliveries. Understanding the role of sharing in the future economy is ‘key’ to ensuring value chain integration from initial software development to implementation in new locations. 

Moderator: 

  • Luiz Ros, Special Advisor for Innovation Digital Economy Initiative, Office of the Presidency, InterAmerican Development Bank 

Speakers: 

  • Shawn Sullivan, Public Policy lead for Central America and the Caribbean, AirBnB Inc. 
  • Ivo Côrrea, Policy Director for CA & Caribbean, Uber Technologies Inc.

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